


I Want It

by WakeUpDreaming



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Communication, Enthusiastic Consent, F/M, First Time, Poseidon Cabin - Freeform, Yankee's Cap, interruptions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 21:43:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18455180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WakeUpDreaming/pseuds/WakeUpDreaming
Summary: They try. They really do. But something always seems to get in the way of their plans - including but not limited to Medusa, Sally Jackson, past trauma, and babies.





	I Want It

**Author's Note:**

> This is similar in theme to my fic from years ago, Boring Blue Boxers, but I hope this one is better as I am five years older.

Attempt #1: Percy’s Apartment, finally somewhere safe after the Giant War.

They don’t actually know what they’re doing right now. They’re desperate and exhausted and miserable, but the only thing Annabeth wants is him, to feel, to be real, to be safe. There’s a little voice in the back of her head telling her to slow down, telling her to think, but the rest of her is so desperate for Percy, for the comfort and safety and hope that he’s always represented, that she focuses on the moment instead of anything else.

She hears herself whimper as Percy presses her up against the wall, and it’s that moment when time stops, when everything strikes with intense clarity.

“Annabeth,” he says, and, gods, his voice is ragged and rough and it’s taking everything for her to hold it together, “wait, my mom – they’ll be back soon.”

She nods, listening to that little voice for the first time. “Yeah. Yeah, I think –”

Unfortunately, that’s the moment, when Annabeth’s shirt is on the floor and Percy’s leg is between hers, when their hair is a mess and their breathing is broken, that the door swings open.

“Percy, we have – ” Sally Jackson stares at the two of them. “Well, then.”

Annabeth and Percy fall over themselves trying to get it together, but Annabeth realizes rather quickly that Percy’s leg is still in between hers and they crash to the floor.

“And to think the two of you have, twice, been critical to the continuation of the world as we know it.” Her words are snippy, but she’s smiling at them. “Come to the kitchen when you’re put together. We need to talk. About many things, apparently.”

-

Ten minutes later, they learn that Percy is going to be an older brother, and Annabeth starts thinking of the consequences of sex. And then Sally goes into a very detailed description of protection and safe sex. Annabeth doesn’t bring sex up again for a while.

~

Attempt #2: Percy’s Apartment

Annabeth can’t give you the exact time her perspective of Percy changed from “annoying best friend who is cute and I don’t know how to manage it” to “annoying yet adorable boyfriend who is hot and I don’t know how to manage it” to “I want you so bad but also I just met your new baby sister and damn are babies intense” to “I know how to prevent that baby thing and I really can’t wait anymore because holy SHIT you’ve gotten even hotter somehow.”

But she hits her breaking point on March 15th of their senior year of high school, when they’re lazily making out on Percy’s couch while they’re supposed to be babysitting Estelle. But the baby’s asleep and both of them finished their homework, so Annabeth refuses to feel guilty about the way she grabbed Percy by the collar and pulled him on top of her.

“Wait,” Percy says, catching her hand as it goes to slide up his shirt.

“Wait, what?” Annabeth asks, freezing where she is. “Did I do something? Is this – is this not…?

“I’m just pretty sure we’re going to be walked in on again,” Percy says, glancing at the door. He shifts so he’s no longer got his weight on her, and she realizes they’re right in the way of the door.

“Oh,” Annabeth says, “right. That.”

She watches Percy visibly calm himself, deep breathes and eyes closed like their therapist recommended, and he looks at her.

“Wanna go for a run?” he asks.

Annabeth shrugs. “Gotta put this energy somewhere, right?”

Percy grins, and then leans in to press a kiss to her forehead. “Let me go see if Estelle is awake yet.”

Percy walks out with Estelle on his shoulder a second later and, suddenly, Annabeth gets hit with the idea of him holding their kid like that.

She shuts it down, hard, and gets the stroller ready for Percy.

They run a 5k in nineteen minutes, thirty-eight seconds, trading off the stroller every block, and Annabeth begins to wonder if sexual frustration is how normal people get in really good shape.

~

Attempt #3: Camp

Annabeth could kiss her Yankees Cap, with all the fun it’s led to. She snuck into Percy’s cabin on a hot June night, when both of them have graduated high school and they’re both running on excitement and relief. They keep having to shush each other, keep having to quiet down to make sure nobody can hear them, and that makes it all the more fun.

When Percy’s hands slide under her shirt and sports bra, Annabeth’s brain starts to short circuit and all she can think of is the way his fingers feel against her skin.

“Percy, I want – I want to…” She can’t figure out what she’s saying. All she knows is she wants him, and she wants him now.

Instead of what she expects, Percy freezes. “What?”

Annabeth feels herself go cold. She was stupid to try. It was too much. She’s being too pushy. “I understand if you don’t want to,” Annabeth says, trying not to react. She begins scanning the room for her shirt. “I mean – ”

“What – wait, what?” Percy says, and he looks so bewildered at the idea he might not want to that Annabeth almost wants to kiss him again. “No! I want to – gods, I…” He trails off, and his eyes glaze over just a tiny bit. “I really, definitely want to. I just want to make sure we talk about it first.”

Annabeth tilts her head to the side, trying to understand what he’s saying without actually asking to hear it again. But a couple of seconds pass and it’s enough to make Percy’s big old seal eyes go sad, so Annabeth decides that asking is okay. “Talk about what?”

“You know,” Percy says, and he gestures between the two of them, looks confused, then takes her hand. “We have to talk about what we both want, and how – how we want to use protection, and what to do if one of us isn’t comfortable.”

Annabeth blinks. “Why would we talk about that?”

“Because we have to,” Percy says. “That’s part of being in a relationship – we have to talk about all of that stuff or else we could end up hurting each other.” And then he studies her face, that way he does that makes her feel just vulnerable enough to blush. “Did – did you not know that?”

Annabeth feels her face burn even brighter. “No.”

“Oh, hey,” Percy says, squeezing her hand. “Don’t – stop freaking out.”

“I’m not freaking out,” Annabeth lies.

“Sure,” Percy says. “Did you ever have a talk about – about sex?”

Annabeth thinks, really thinks. “No,” she admits. “I didn’t.”

Percy frowns. “You mean you – how did you find out…” He blinks. “What?”

“Percy, I grew up at Camp,” Annabeth explains. “Never went to real school. The parent I had was Chiron, and he’s never been the kind to bring that up.”

“My mom started telling me everything once she met you,” Percy says.

“What?!” Annabeth squeaks.

“No!” Percy says. “No, wait, not like that. I mean – that came out wrong, I mean.” He pauses. “She knew I loved you before I even knew I liked you, so I think she wanted to make sure I didn’t make any dumb decisions when we were on a quest or something.”

Annabeth raises an eyebrow. “You didn’t even kiss me when I was lying on my deathbed.”

“You didn’t die, though,” Percy replies, and it’s such a weird, such a them answer, that they both start to giggle, and it dissolves into the two of them wrapping around each other.

 “You really – you never thought about it?” Percy asks. “It never occurred to you that you might get in the moment and you might not know what to do?”

Annabeth shakes her head. “The only – before you – I never really.” She closes her eyes, taking a steadying breath. “Look, Percy, I just – nothing ever seemed real to me, until I met you. I never though I’d live past thirteen, so I figured that I’d never have to worry about it.” She pauses. “I mean about, about sex.”

Percy stares at her for a long moment, that way he’s always done. When they were young, she’d thought he was making fun of her, or being dense, or ignoring her. But, as they’ve gotten older, as they’ve battled the world and themselves to get where they are now, she knows what it means. It’s his way of focusing all of his attention on the moment. On her.

It’s a look only ever for her.

“You didn’t think you’d live past thirteen?” he finally asks, his voice quiet.

Annabeth shrugs. “Not many of us do. At least, not until the war with the Titans. More of us live now.”

Percy falls against back on the bed, hair splaying out against his pillow. “Damn, Annabeth,” he sighs. “I always forget how shitty everything was for you as a kid, you know? I never thought I’d be dead before thirteen. At least, not until I found out who my dad was.”

Annabeth falls down next to him, all the energy drained out of her suddenly, exhaustion wrapping her in a heavy blanket. “I always forget how not-shitty everything is as a kid for everybody else.”

They talk, and talk, for hours, Annabeth about life at Camp, Percy about life not knowing his father, life with Gabe. Annabeth learns that Gabe got a little free with his fists more than once a week and more than just on Percy. Percy learns that Annabeth had to keep up with the more experienced, taller, stronger, more educated pre-teen demigods when she was seven and eight years old, keeping herself tough and brave and defensive while fighting people double her size.

“We’re pretty messed up, aren’t we?” Annabeth muses.

To her surprise, Percy’s response is a sleepy laugh. “Wouldn’t be us if we weren’t, right?”

She snuggles into his chest, letting sleep take the place of exhaustion, comfort the place of fear. “You’ve got a point there.”

~

Attempt #4: Hotel

“Why?!” Annabeth exclaims, trying to pull her knife out of her thigh holster, “why the hell is there a gorgon delivering room service?!”

“Apparently Medusa likes Italian,” Percy replies, and it’s such a stupid answer that Annabeth can’t decide if she wants to kiss him or trip him.

They make it out into the hallway, Medusa’s annoying shriek in the background, and Annabeth briefly realizes she’s missing her bra somewhere back in the hotel room.

Percy looks over to her, eyebrow raised, then looks at the vending machine. Annabeth nods.

“Yo, Boa Constrictor!” Percy yells, stopping in his tracks as Annabeth rolls over into the little space between the snack machine and the wall. “You always have bad hair days or is the humidity causing the static?”

Medusa doesn’t respond with words, just shrieks in a horrible snarl, and runs in his direction. Percy winks at Annabeth as he bolts past her hiding space, and she manages to throw her entire body weight into the snack machine just as Medusa runs past.

There’s a deafening crash, a hideous shriek. And then silence.

The vending machine has broken, glass scattered everywhere, and Medusa is gone in a puff of smoke.

“So,” Percy says, too casually, “what’s the likelihood that nobody heard the crash?”

“Slim to none,” Annabeth replies, “leaning toward none.”

“We should get out of here.”

“We should.”

They run back to the room, running inside just long enough to get whatever is in plain sight, and then getting out of there faster than they’ve ever moved.

And then they hit the elevator, where somebody looking extremely managerial steps out and looks at them suspiciously. Annabeth reaches into her pocket for her cap, but Percy catches her hand in his.

“Good evening,” the manage says, eyeing them suspiciously.

Percy smiles at him, and Annabeth can almost feel how painfully awkward he feels. “Hello, sir. Heading out to a dinner reservation. Great place you have here!”

He narrows his eyes. “Did you hear some sort of crash?”

“You know, I think I did,” Annabeth says, “maybe in that direction?” She points the opposite way of where they’d battled Medusa.

“Thank you,” the manager says, and he takes a moment to straighten up and then saunters down the hall with purpose.

After the elevator doors close, Annabeth mutters, “Why’d you stop me from grabbing my cap?”

“Because if I’m going down, you’re going down with me,” Percy replies, sending her a grin. “Both in the legal way and the sexy way.”

Annabeth feels her eyes widen and her face go red. “Percy, you can’t just say that stuff in public.”

“Why not?” he asks, the grin growing wider. “It makes you get all flustered.”

“I’m not flustered!”

He gives her another look. “I think you are.”

~

Attempt #5: Percy’s apartment, again

“Should we – I want to talk first,” Percy says, and he’s holding himself so stiffly Annabeth can tell it’s taking him everything to slow down. “I want to make sure you and I are on the same page.”

“We are,” Annabeth says,” pulling off her shirt, “so let’s go.” She leans up and kisses him, but it throws off their balance just long enough for them to roll over onto the floor in a heap.

They start to laugh, because this is all so ridiculous, until Percy stills again and his eyes go serious again. “We still haven’t talked about it,” Percy says, hair mussed and in his eyes as he’s half on Annabeth and half on the hardwood floor.

“I thought we did.”

“Not enough,” Percy says. “I want to make sure we are thinking the same thing.”

“Okay,” Annabeth says, and all she can think about how much she wants to take off his shirt. “Right. Talk. That.”

“I have condoms,” Percy blurts out. “And my sheets are clean.”

Annabeth fights back a smile. “Okay.”

“And I love you and I think you’re really beautiful and I’m so down if you want to but I would wait forever if you needed me to,” he continues, his words rushed and frantic. “So, yeah. I definitely want to. I so want to.”

Annabeth chances a run of her hands across his stomach, fingertips skipping along his muscles, and his leg slips just enough for her to feel that he’s hard, and she’s a whole new kind of interested.

“I want – I want to…” She can’t figure out what to say, how to say it, where the words are. “Percy, I want you.”

He smiles down at her, and moves to press a kiss to her forehead. “I love you.”

“Okay,” Annabeth replies. “So – same page? We both – we want to have sex? Right now? In this very opportune moment?”

“Same page,” Percy breathes, and then his lips are on hers, and she’s got her hands up under his shirt and –”

“Wait.”

Percy freezes immediately and looks into her face, searching her for an answer. “What?” he asks. “What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong,” Annabeth says, and she’s trying to keep her voice under control. “We’re just on the floor and there’s a baby toy under my back.”

He relaxes. “Oh, okay. That’s good to hear.” He grins. “Come on.”

He stands and offers her a hand, and she takes it, stumbling into his arms and almost taking him out.

“Eager?” he asks, and there’s a little fire in his eyes that Annabeth’s only seen a couple of times before.

She pushes at his chest. “Oh, shut up.”

He wraps his arms around, her, though, and they stumble into his bedroom. He was honest – his room is tidied, his sheets are clean, and it’s to the point where she wonders if he’d planned some of this.

Down to the fact that he’d had his old iPad plugged into his speakers on a playlist that seems to be all slow, sexy songs.

“Okay,” Annabeth says, “did you have some sort of scheme?”

“What?” Percy asks, and that’s when his grin goes a little sly. “Inviting you over here when my family was out on a weekend trip to Brooklyn?”

“Oh, so now you’re the strategist.” Annabeth puts a hand flat on his chest and pushes him down on the bed. “I see how it is.”

“Okay, see, I had plans, but now you’re doing whatever this is, and I’m just going to do whatever you ask.”

She tilts her head. “That sounds interesting.”

He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her against him. Words aren’t necessary anymore – they tell each other what they want and need with the way their bodies move, and Annabeth’s takes her own bra off to make her intentions clear. She can’t get over the way Percy stares at her, even though he’s seen her topless a good number of times by now, and she doesn’t wait before getting her hands under his shirt. And he doesn’t wait to take it off.

They’re clumsy and silly, and it takes a while for them to get the rhythm right. It’s different than battles, it’s different than banter, and it’s a whole new experience. It’s amazing. It’s wonderful. It’s different than she expected, though not in a bad way, and Annabeth is impressed by Percy’s unwavering need to get her off, even after he has.

And she’s also impressed and 100% satisfied.

 “Is it bad that I’m tired?” Annabeth asks, her voice barely more than a mumble. “Because I’m…” She trails off into a yawn.

Percy wraps his arms around her and pulls her into him, resting his chin on the top of her head. “You sleep,” Percy says, “I’ll keep an ear out for my mom.”

“Yeah, she’d see right through this – ” she pauses to yawn, “in a second.”

Percy kisses her forehead. “You know I love you, right?”

“Yeah,” she replies, “and you know I love you, too.”

She can feel his lips curve into a smile against her forehead.

**Author's Note:**

> Title and inspiration from Two Feet's "I Want It." Which is a recommendation to accompany this fic.


End file.
